LCBO strike averted as officials reach tentative deal with union

LCBO strike averted as as officials reach tentative deal with union

Liquor stores across the province will remain open over the Victoria Day long weekend, following a resolution between LCBO officials and union representatives.

“Did we get everything we were asking for? No. Did the LCBO get everything they were demanding of our members? No,” said Warren “Smokey” Thomas, president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU).

The tentative deal was announced at a press conference just after 10 p.m. on Thursday—just two hours before 6,700 unionized employees walked away from LCBO locations.

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Both teams stayed at the bargaining table in a Mississauga hotel overnight Wednesday and through the day on Thursday.

In negotiations since February, union and LCBO officials sparred over the crown corporation’s use of casual employees. While the union called for more job stability for part-time employees, the LCBO heralded casual employment as the backbone of every efficient retail operation.

The agreement is still pending ratification, and neither side would comment on how what specific arrangements allowed the two parties to come to a deal.

Threats of a strike steadily grew on Thursday as the clock moved closer to the 12:01 a.m. deadline set for Friday morning. People across Ontario swarmed the chain’s 635 locations to boost their alcohol reserves.

When the LCBO last found itself within hours of a strike deadline in 2009, it saw a record-breaking day for sales.

However LCBO spokesperson Heather MacGregor said Thursday “wasn’t like in 2009 when stores were completely wiped out of stock.”

Ms. MacGregor said the LCBO won’t know if it broken the 2009 daily sales record of $56 million until data is compiled on Friday.